La Pine and Pleasant Hill are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2019, but likely not for long. The Hawks will face off against the Billies at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
La Pine proved they can win big on Tuesday (they won by six) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Creswell 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Hawks have posted since March 21st.
Riley Flack
| 04/15/25 @ Sisters | 10 |
| 04/22/25 vs Creswell | 7 |
| 04/02/25 @ Lakeview | 6 |
| 05/06/25 vs Elmira | 3 |
| 04/29/25 vs Harrisburg | 2 |
| + 3 more games |
Riley Flack and Elijah Sparrow made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Flack tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Sparrow tossed five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Flack is becoming a predictor of La Pine's success: when he allows at most two hits the team is 5-2 (and 6-7 when he doesn't). At the plate, Flack got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one RBI, while Sparrow got on base in two of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Shaye Johnson, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. Davey Taylor was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Hill was able to grind out a solid win over Harrisburg on Friday, taking the game 9-4.
Landon Kelley spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on five hits and racked up six Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Wyatt Krauss and Kaden Fisher did most of the damage at the plate: Krauss went 2-for-4 with three runs and one RBI, while Fisher went 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those two hits gave Krauss a new career-high. Will Sheva also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
La Pine has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Pleasant Hill, they now have a winning record of 11-10-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. La Pine has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Pleasant Hill struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
La Pine beat Pleasant Hill 4-0 when the teams last played two weeks ago. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
